"Too many choices at pivotal points in life can leave us feeling like confused coffee nerds- mouths hanging open at the Starbucks counter. Frozen in time, we may wonder. What do I do now? What if I make a mistake and place the wrong order? What if I make a fool of myself? At those times we need to take a deep breath, put our hands in God's, and follow His lead." -Rachel St. John-Gilbert
I have a fascination with quotes from other people and as I read this quote, I was reminded of the feeling of abandonment. Often times, if I don't receive an answer from God when I think I should have it, I feel like God has abandoned me. However, scriptures tell us the exact opposite. In Joshua 1:9 it says, "This is my command- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Feelings can be misleading at times and even when we feel alone, God is there. All we have to do is reach out to Him and He will lead our steps. Put your hope in the God who knows everything about you and understands the way you are feeling. He loves and cares for YOU today and every day!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Let Go
1 Peter 3:6-7 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold- though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
We all endure trials in life and sometimes we want to give up and turn the other way. However, God promises that our season of trial will not last forever. There is an end to every season of life and in the verse above, God promises that our trials will make us stronger and that we will be like gold that has been purified through the fire. So today, let go and let God!!
We all endure trials in life and sometimes we want to give up and turn the other way. However, God promises that our season of trial will not last forever. There is an end to every season of life and in the verse above, God promises that our trials will make us stronger and that we will be like gold that has been purified through the fire. So today, let go and let God!!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Praise Worthy
Deuteronomy 10:20 You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone.
This song by Jonathan Lee is an oath to God alone just as the verse above says. A lot of times we get caught up in the business of life and forget to take quiet time alone with God to worship him and soak in his presence. Take the time to listen to this song and receive restoration from the only One who can truly refresh you. When we cling to God, he gives us just what we need because he knows exactly what that is. Give him your praise today because he is praise worthy.
This song by Jonathan Lee is an oath to God alone just as the verse above says. A lot of times we get caught up in the business of life and forget to take quiet time alone with God to worship him and soak in his presence. Take the time to listen to this song and receive restoration from the only One who can truly refresh you. When we cling to God, he gives us just what we need because he knows exactly what that is. Give him your praise today because he is praise worthy.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Hand It Over
Philippians
4:6-7
Don't fret or
worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries
into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of
God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you
down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of
your life.
A great mentor of
mine shared this verse with me a few weeks ago and I was amazed that just
reading it gave me comfort. However, God was tugging on my heart with this
verse, as He may be with you. He doesn't want us to only feel comfort from this
verse, He wants us to believe it with everything we are. It's more difficult at
times in our lives when we have testing or trial, but God promises to be there
for us. To be the One we can trust with our heart and everything that is inside
(including our fears, failures, worries and doubts)...He's asking us to hand it
over!!
Are you willing to
hand it over to God??
You Are More
"You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of
your past mistakes, You are
more than the problems you create, You've been remade."
-Lyrics from Tenth Avenue North's song You Are More
I love this song that reminds us of God's redemption and grace that He so freely gives us and by receiving it, we become remade. No matter how big or small the mistake or failure, God is still and always will be there to pick up the pieces and restore your broken and tattered heart to a place of complete healing. It may not come over night or even in a few weeks or months but it will come in God's timing... and I've learned time after time that He's never early, never late, always just right on time. Trust God to come into your heart and clean up the mess. He can only restore you if you allow Him to draw you near and let Him tend to the wounds of your heart.
-Lyrics from Tenth Avenue North's song You Are More
I love this song that reminds us of God's redemption and grace that He so freely gives us and by receiving it, we become remade. No matter how big or small the mistake or failure, God is still and always will be there to pick up the pieces and restore your broken and tattered heart to a place of complete healing. It may not come over night or even in a few weeks or months but it will come in God's timing... and I've learned time after time that He's never early, never late, always just right on time. Trust God to come into your heart and clean up the mess. He can only restore you if you allow Him to draw you near and let Him tend to the wounds of your heart.
Approval Game
"There's trouble ahead when
you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what
indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests-look how many
scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true,
not popular. (Luke 6:26 MSG)
We all get caught up in pleasing the people around us or the people we want to recognize us. God knew we would struggle with this concept and that's exactly why there is a scripture such as this one. God wants us to do what pleases Him and if it gets the approval of others, great! If not we're called to live the same and be okay with the fact that God loves how we are and the approval of others' is small in comparison to His view of us. He wants us to be happy with the way He made us and live freely in who we are. You're free of others' opinions of you today and every day. Don't let opinions hold you back, rather be confident in who God has called you to be and put a smile on your face!!
We all get caught up in pleasing the people around us or the people we want to recognize us. God knew we would struggle with this concept and that's exactly why there is a scripture such as this one. God wants us to do what pleases Him and if it gets the approval of others, great! If not we're called to live the same and be okay with the fact that God loves how we are and the approval of others' is small in comparison to His view of us. He wants us to be happy with the way He made us and live freely in who we are. You're free of others' opinions of you today and every day. Don't let opinions hold you back, rather be confident in who God has called you to be and put a smile on your face!!
Stop, Think, Listen
Proverbs 26:20 Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels diappear when gossip stops.
In the intro to one of my devotional plans I read this statement the other day, "Those who gossip to you will also gossip about you." That is a powerful statement and the more I read it, the more it makes me think. Gossip is a damaging and destructive thing and it has impact on not only the person being talked about, it also has impact on the people participating in the gossip. I have caught myself many times saying things that don't need to be said aloud about someone or something that happened. We all have thoughts about people and situations but we have the choice to either think about how it will sound to others if we say it or to ponder it in our hearts and give it over to God to deal with. He's always there to bear our burdens and He understands the way we feel. Who better to talk to? Next time you are tempted to say something destructive...stop, think and listen to what God will have you to do.
In the intro to one of my devotional plans I read this statement the other day, "Those who gossip to you will also gossip about you." That is a powerful statement and the more I read it, the more it makes me think. Gossip is a damaging and destructive thing and it has impact on not only the person being talked about, it also has impact on the people participating in the gossip. I have caught myself many times saying things that don't need to be said aloud about someone or something that happened. We all have thoughts about people and situations but we have the choice to either think about how it will sound to others if we say it or to ponder it in our hearts and give it over to God to deal with. He's always there to bear our burdens and He understands the way we feel. Who better to talk to? Next time you are tempted to say something destructive...stop, think and listen to what God will have you to do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)